The Fool’s Journey: An Assignment

I’m back after an extended break.  Arcana Stones is still alive and kicking, and sets are still for sale, so please check them out!  And it’s high time for a new series. 

I’m going to do a few posts about “major arrangements,” that is, different layouts of the tarot majors based on their “original numbering” that can give us some clues to their meanings and connections.  I use Golden Dawn numbering and titles prominently with Arcana Stones, so arranging them by their numbers is only natural.

There are 22 Arcana Stones, 21 of them numbered and one numbered 0.  So we can look at arrangements based on both 21 and 22.  Let’s look at 21 first. 

A popular arrangement is the Fool’s Journey.  It has been elaborated by many tarot teachers and authors, including Eden Gray and Mary Greer.  The idea is that the Fool journeys through tarot-land, meeting and learning lessons from each of the other majors in numerical order.

Since the numerical progression goes from individuals (magician, priestess and priest, empress and emperor) through allegorical concepts (virtues, death, devil) to cosmological entities (sun, moon, stars, universe), I’m pretty sure the progression is from simpler lessons to increasingly complex ones.  3 times 7 comes in when we posit that the journey is in 3 stages of 7, each more complex or at a higher level than one before.  (That’s why I have 1 through 7 on the bottom row, etc.)

So now we have to figure out what 1-Magician-Chiastolite, 8-Fortitude-Tiger Eye, and 15-Devil-Hematite have in common as the first step on each of the 3 stages of the journey.  And the same for the other steps, of course.  The Fool’s Journey is brimming with information for you, but that information is often personal, so I’m going to turn this over as an assignment for you.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to lay out your stones or cards in the Fool’s Journey arrangement and look for visual and conceptual similarities for each set of 3.  How are they alike?  How are they different?  What does it mean that they are the first, second, third, etc. step on the 3 stages?  Take notes!  Jot down anything that comes to mind, no matter how simple or outlandish.  That’s where the insights are!

For example, when looking at this arrangement, I notice just how important the Golden Dawn 8-11 switch really is.  In all arrangements based on 21, 11-Justice-Aventurine will be the middle stone, the balancing point for the entire line-up of majors.  Justice’s scales have a big job to do in GD-based tarots!  (And I need to study and explore that in more depth.)  This also helps point out that whether the numbering or arrangement we’re using is historical, “traditional,” a 100-year-old esoteric innovation, or yesterday’s thought of the moment, it’s valid and meaningful if it sparks learning and insights.

You may also want to walk through the journey with the Fool, visualizing his meeting with each of the majors.  What do they look like?  How do they meet?  What do the Fool and the major say to each other?  Do they give the Fool gifts that will help him on his journey?  (If they all do, by the time he gets to the end of the road, his knapsack will be quite heavy, unless he has Hermione’s purse!)  If you do take the time to do this work, I again urge you to take notes.  I guarantee you will learn a lot about yourself, as well as the majors.

Bon voyage!

Just so you know, future posts in the arrangements series will not all be assignments.  I will be inflicting my notes and insights on you, so be forewarned!  And stay tuned!

My Thanksgiving Turkey

Based on the child’s craft of tracing a line around your non-dominant hand and then embellishing it to look like a turkey, my simple Thanksgiving spread is:

The thumb/the turkey’s head:  Something to keep in mind about receiving and gratitude.
The four fingers/the turkey’s big tail feathers:  Four things to be thankful for.

For my Thanksgiving reading, I drew five stones and arranged them above the tips of my fingers. 

Yes, folks, I got Hanged One, Death, and Devil to be thankful for.  Let’s see how I do with that!  But let’s start at the beginning:

Keep in mind about receiving and gratitude:  3-Empress-Malachite.  I need to keep in mind that everything we have comes from nature.  We are part of nature, and she provides for her own.  But we are so “civilized” these days, we sometimes forget where our blessings of life, sustenance, and health come from.  Our culture has become so intelligent that we can wrest nature’s bounty from her even when she is reluctant to give, or when it harms her, the very source of everything we need.  And we haven’t become intelligent enough not to.  But the Empress is here as a gentle reminder, not a rant, to keep her in mind when we want what we want and get what we want.  Is what we want best for ourselves, for other people, for our mother nature?  And a reminder to be truly thankful to the ultimate source of life.

Be thankful for 0-Fool-Clear Quartz.  I’m thankful for the daily opportunity for a fresh start.  No matter where I am or what I’m doing, I can begin again instantly with an attitude adjustment.  Few of life’s situations are so immutable that a change of mind can’t change them, for the better if that’s what the mind intends.  I’m also thankful for the existence of innocence in myself and in the world.  Cynicism, depression, and despair, although ubiquitous, are not all there is.  Freshness, openness, curiosity, and compassionate goodness are here around me and within me if I choose to look for them.  A blessing that we don’t often remember to count, but a valuable one just the same.

Be thankful for 12-Hanged One-Sodalite.  I’m thankful for the pause that refreshes!  Sometimes the universe hangs us up so we have to take a break from our everyday life or the determined pursuit of our desires.  When I just can’t seem to get to where I want to go is when I get the chance to examine why I’m doing what I’m doing and if that’s what I should be doing.  It also teaches me patience.  I need to learn that good things are worth waiting for.  So thank you, Hanged One for the timely reminder!

Be thankful for 13-Death-Mahogany Obsidian.  I truly am thankful for endings.  It’s good to be able to know that when something is over, it’s over, and I can move on to something new (with the Fool) - or not.  Death lets us know when to let something go, another valuable, although not often appreciated, lesson from the turkey today.

Be thankful for 15-Devil-Hematite.  Temptation can be a good thing.  A flash of random, irrational desire can be a signpost pointing to something fulfilling, even if it was never part of our “five year plan.”  Just because something is different or unexpected doesn’t mean it’s wrong.  (The only thing wrong is if we hurt someone or ourselves in pursuit of that illusive something.)  I’m not sure how this pertains to my life, but I’ll keep my eyes open for messages from Devil in the coming year.

Well, this is a lot to think about.  I definitely feel more thankful on this day after Thanksgiving!

I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving and that you have a year full of gratitude!

What do I need to know about reading for the Halloween FAP?

I was asked to read cards at my firm's Halloween party on Friday, so thought I'd read about it!

I laid down 9 cards from the Halloween Tarot in a Tin and tossed 3 Arcana Stones on top.  I took up the cards that didn’t get stones.  This is what I ended up with.

 

 

 

3-Emperor-Carnelian on Three of Ghosts.  Don’t forget this is a top-down organized, employer sponsored party.  So yes, it will have a pleasant togetherness feel, but I shouldn’t get too deep into counseling or deeper personal issues.

 

10-Wheel-Botswana Agate on Two of Bats.  Notwithstanding the previous, I should be prepared for anything to come up in the cards.  It won’t be all fun and games, and I might be called upon to help someone make an important decision.  So I shouldn’t be in too light of a mood.  Tarot reading is tarot reading, after all.

 

19-Sun-Citrine on Knight of Ghosts.  My readings will bring to clearest light to romantic issues.  Or perhaps I will be able to enlighten my coworkers to the romantic and not-so-romantic aspects of tarot. 

 

So it sounds like it will all turn out well.  Now I just need to study up on the Halloween deck!

Autumnal Equinox Health Reading for Me

Coincidentally, a new 12 week session of exercise class started on the equinox (which is also when the sun enters Libra), so I think it’s time to do a health reading!

Using the Stone Arrowhead Spread, I asked what will be the outcome of exercising this session?

My first three stones are:

2-Priestess-Moonstone 9-Hermit-Fluorite 19-Sun-Citrine

I started taking the exercise classes totally on a whim.  I never exercised in my life, and then I started in my 50s?  Priestess suggests that it wasn’t just a whim, it was the prompting of an inner, mysterious wisdom.  Hermit is another wisdom card, a wise, old man.  I finally wised up about my health when I got old!  And the Sun says nothing about this can be bad, it’s a good thing and will have a good and healthy outcome.

A+C=the cause:  21-Universe-Onyx.  It’s true that your health is everything.  I’m too young to give up on myself.  The true cause of exercising at this time is that I am finally valuing myself.

A+B=what I’m receiving:  11-Justice-Aventurine.  I’m not going to turn into a supermodel overnight--or in 12 weeks, but I will receive a more healthful physical and emotional balance.  I knew Justice/Libra would show up here somewhere!

B+C=what I’m doing:  10-Wheel-Bostwana Agate.  I’m willing to try anything!  I’m following the program, doing as much of the exercises as I can, and just seeing what will happen.

A+B+C=outcome:  3-Empress-Malachite.  Along with the Sun and Justice, the Empress is a wonderful, optimistic stone for a health reading.  Not only will I have a very healthy physical outcome, I’ll also get control over my life--emotional and physical health, food, time, and possessions.

So a very encouraging reading!  I will try to keep in mind over the next 12 weeks that the origin of this endeavor is subtle wisdom, and it will all turn out very well for me.

Job Search Reading for Meghan

Meghan asks, “will I get one or more job offers within the next three weeks?”

Time for an Oldest Spread reading!

8-Fortitude-Tiger Eye + 4 of Coins:  In this job search, your greatest strength is to stay focused on the money.  While the convention wisdom or normal advice is to make sure the job is a good fit, provides a comfortable environment, etc., the stones are saying you should pay close attention to, and put your effort into, the compensation bottom line for any offers you get.  4 of Coins says “show me the money!”

5-Hierophant-Orange Calcite + Knave of Wands:  You may get an offer from a traditional, well-established employer (Hierophant) who sees you as someone full of youthful energy and enthusiasm that will fit right in -- in a subordinate position (Knave of Wands).

16-Tower-Red Jasper + 2 of Swords:  Well, it looks like you might get more than one offer because this combination is warning you to be careful in your choice of which one to take!  Looking back to Fortitude and 4 of Coins, you need to really check out the offers to make sure they’re as lucrative as they look.  An uninformed or emotional choice could have unpleasant consequences.  Be like those two swords and cut right to the truth of the offers.

9-Hermit-Fluorite + 3 of Cups:  This combination could be a more positive version of the Towery one.  While you might be looking for a job in which you can make friends and express your real self (3 of Cups), it would be better to go into the job search/choice with a Hermit mentality.  You need a job to be self-sufficient, both physically and emotionally.  You should concentrate on doing your work and getting paid, without entanglements, positive or negative.

Alternatively, this combination might mean you will get an offer from someone who is not used to working collaboratively, but thinks that you would be someone he/she could get along with and work with pleasantly.

In summary, you will probably get two or more offers that you will have to be very careful in choosing between. 

Wow, interesting reading!  Meghan, thanks for asking what the stones have to say to you!  Please let me know if this is anywhere near accurate, or helpful, and definitely let me know how the job search goes for you!

Universe Wisdom Reading

What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything? 

With a nod to Douglas Adams and the Hitchhikers, I thought it was appropriate to do a good old houses reading for this question.  What houses are important to, well, everything, what does each one mean, and how should we act in each realm? 

8-Fortitude-Tiger Eye in the Eighth House.  Here we are in the house of endings.  A constant theme in our wisdom readings has been the universality of impermanence.  Everything changes, nothing stays the same, and everything ends sometime.  And Fortitude says sometimes it takes just plain strength of character and guts to deal with all these changes and endings.  But just knowing the truth and the ubiquity of impermanence can’t help but give us the strength of mind to be prepared and accepting when the changes come.

2-Priestess-Moonstone in the Ninth House.  Learning and knowledge are of fundamental importance in human life.  We are born with a very small bit innate knowledge/instinct, but the rest of what we need for life on earth is learned, every day from birth to death.  But Priestess says the most important things we learn are not from teachers and books, but from our own experiences and intuition.  She tells us every day to trust in our own inner knowing and truths for clues for solving the puzzle of life, the universe, and everything.

11-Justice-Aventurine in the Twelfth House.  The mysterious, confusing Twelfth House says that we are all, to different extents, lost in a funhouse of our own making (kind of the flipside of the message of the Priestess).  Our minds are so powerful that each of us creates the entire universe that we live in, which is similar, but slightly (or greatly) different, than everyone else’s.  This is what makes it so imperative that we act with Justice as much as we possibly can.  We can’t know exactly what any other person is going through at this very minute, but we do know that every single person on the planet wants to be safe and happy.  So one of the most important ways to make our lives meaningful is to do things and live in a way that will help others to be safe and happy, and maybe help them live their best lives. 

Sartre famously said that hell is other people.  But the stones say, guess what, the meaning of life, the universe, and everything is also other people!

Judgment Wisdom Reading

What is the best way to rise up to a higher level?

We get, in an obvious bottom to top order, 0-Fool-Clear Quartz, 4-Emperor-Carnelian, 12-Hanged One-Sodalite.

0-Fool-Clear Quartz:  We have to go into it without expectations.  Yes, it’s contradictory.  How can you want and pursue something that you can only get by not trying to figure out what it is?  I’ve been reading a little bit of Chinese philosophy recently, and this seems like the essence of wuwei, doing by not doing.  And “the way that can be named is not the true way.”  Fool says we have to be open to whatever comes, but also ready and willing to set out on the journey at any time.

4-Emperor-Carnelian:  The journey and goal have to be what you want.  You’re never going to get somewhere if it’s not really your goal.  We have to be self-sovereign.  We can’t rise up to someone else’s version of a higher plane.  Religious and spiritual teachings can help us figure out what we want, but no-one can force us to rise.  Maybe they can force us to pretend we want it, or even that we have it, but obviously that’s not it!

12-Hanged One-Sodalite:  And we have to be patient.  To go from Fool to Hanged One is to go with no expectations to end up nowhere.  It’s kind of the dark night of the soul without the dark.  The blank time of the soul.  Or maybe the wintertime of the soul.  We have to trust that things are happening, that seeds are maturing.  And when we least expect it, we will find that we’re already there!